The PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai – The Rematch is officially set after weigh-ins

The PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai – The Rematch is officially set after today’s weigh-ins in Dubai.

With just two weeks to go before the PFL Africa Semi-finals in Kigali, Rwanda, the Professional Fighters League is staging one of its biggest cards yet tomorrow night at the Coca-Cola Arena. The action kicks off at 5:30pm SAST.

Topping the bill is the league’s most anticipated rematch to date: undefeated lightweight star Usman Nurmagomedov (19-0, 1 NC) versus Paul “Big News” Hughes (14-2). Both men hit the scales successfully and are ready to run it back for the PFL Lightweight World Championship.

The co-main event is equally stacked, featuring Corey “Overtime” Anderson (19-6) against Dovlet “Turkic Power” Yagshimuradov (25-7-1). Both cleared the light Heavyweight limit—Anderson at 204.6 lbs and Yagshimuradov at 205.0 lbs—as they prepare to battle for the division’s world title.

Fans in the U.S. can stream the event live on the ESPN App (for ESPN Unlimited Plan subscribers), while DAZN will carry the broadcast in the UK, Ireland, and more than 200 countries worldwide.

Meanwhile, the road continues toward history in Africa. On October 18, in Rwanda’s “Land of a Thousand Hills,” PFL Africa takes another step toward crowning its first-ever champions. Heavyweights, Welterweights, Featherweights, and Bantamweights will collide, with winners advancing to the December finals in Benin, where divisional kings will be crowned.

The Kigali card features South Africa’s Nkosi Ndebele (9-3), the “King of Many Nations,” who looks to reclaim momentum against undefeated Zimbabwean prospect Simbarashe Hokonya (6-0). Hokonya, a rising star training alongside Nicholas Hwende — the man who once dethroned Ndebele — enters as a dangerous test.

In the main event, Nigeria’s unorthodox featherweight standout Patrick Ocheme (7-1) faces Burkina Faso’s explosive striker Abdoul Razac Sankara (7-4). Sankara rides high into the bout after delivering a “Knockout of the Night” performance in Johannesburg.

From Dubai to Kigali, the PFL continues to push the boundaries of global MMA, with tomorrow’s showcase promising fireworks inside the SmartCage.

PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai - The Rematch Card:

PFL Lightweight World Title Main Event: Usman Nurmagomedov (155.0 lbs) vs. Paul Hughes (155.0 lbs)

PFL Light Heavyweight World Title Co-Main Event: Corey Anderson (204.6 lbs) vs. Dovlet Yagshimuradov (205.0 lbs)

Bantamweight Main Card Bout: Magomed Magomedov (135.0 lbs) vs. Sergio Pettis (135.4 lbs)

Lightweight Main Card Bout: Archie Colgan (155.6 lbs) vs. Jay-Jay Wilson (155.7 lbs)

Bantamweight Main Card Bout: Jack Cartwright (139.8 lbs) vs. Caolan Loughran (140.0 lbs)

Early Card:

Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Pouya Rahmani (256.4 lbs) vs. Slim Trabelsi (233.8 lbs)

Welterweight Showcase Bout: Omar El Dafrawy (170.6 lbs) vs. Florim Zendeli (171.0 lbs)

Lightweight Showcase Bout: Luann Sardinha (154.9 lbs) vs. Mirafzal Akhtamov (156.0 lbs)

Lightweight Showcase Bout: Takeshi Izumi (155.8 lbs) vs. Vinicius Cenci (155.2 lbs)

Lightweight Showcase Bout: Makkasharip Zaynukov (156.0 lbs) vs. John Mitchell (155.8 lbs)

Middleweight Showcase Bout: Jarrah Al-Selawe (185.5 lbs) vs. Gregory Babene (185.0 lbs)